Landslide
by lovelikeher
Summary: They've known each other for years now. She's Katherine's best friend, he's Stefan's best friend. She's the maid of honor, he's the best man. Now, he's the father of her unborn child. AU/AH.
1. Prologue

**Hey there! I've had this floating around in my mind for quite a bit now, so I thought I'd put pen to paper. Well, fingers to keyboard but you get the drift. This is just the prologue so it is quite short, but future chapters will be longer. Of course, it's AU/AH!**

**I don't have a beta, just rely on my own 4am editing, so I apologize for any dumb mistakes. Please drop me a review if you have a chance! It would be much appreciated.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.**

**_Prologue._**

For months now, she's been running around in neurotic maid of honor mode. This was Katherine's wedding and she'd be damned if her best friend didn't have the wedding she deserved. Others may have argued that she didn't deserve more than hell, but Caroline had always seen past the bitchy front she'd put up. So of course, she was going to make sure this day went perfectly for her best friend. Now that the day had arrived, Caroline was pretty sure that she was the one getting cold feet.

Fighting the urge to chew on her freshly manicured fingernails, Caroline tapped her fingers against the glass of her sparkling water. There was no chance in hell that she was getting drunk until there was nothing to stress about. At this point, the list of things that could go wrong during the wedding was fairly long. In her mind, the list was actually much _much _longer than it actually was. Weddings never ran completely smoothly, she knew that, but she would do everything in her power to make sure Katherine got through it without any hassle whatsoever. She'd go to the ends of the earth for her best friend and today was just another example. But it wasn't just another day; it was Katherine's wedding day and nothing –nothing- was going to go wrong.

Katherine however, seemed completely content with staring at herself in the mirror and not worrying about a thing. The rare grin on her face proved that much and Caroline couldn't help but let that calm her nerves. She knew that Katherine loved Stefan, always had, but that didn't change that Caroline was still worried about her. All she ever did was worry about Katherine and the trouble she got herself in. It had been that way since they were kids. Since the very day in kindergarten that Katherine stomped on her foot and Caroline in return shoved her back. Their toddler-tantrum had lasted all of two minutes and forty-six seconds before the two of them had found themselves laughing in the sand pit. They bickered very often and they were definitely an unlikely friendship, but they'd die for each other and that was that. The amount of douchebag guys that had discovered that the hard way was uncountable by now. But Caroline liked Stefan. He was a good friend to her, as well as a good boyfriend/fiancé to Katherine. She had no doubt that he'd be just as a good husband to her too.

When she'd been asked to be the maid of honor, she had admittedly been slightly taken aback. After all, Katherine had a twin sister. Elena was a perfectly good sister, who'd always been around to keep Katherine on track. But apparently, having your identical twin as a part of the wedding ceremony would take 'too much attention' from the bride. Which had made no sense to Caroline but hey, Katherine never did stop surprising her.

So it was just the maid of honor and the best man. The best man being Stefan's best friend, Klaus. The British asshole who'd been friends with Stefan since forever, who Katherine could barely stand but tolerated for the sake of her future husband. Since Katherine and Stefan had met and fallen in love during their college years, Caroline had shared the annoyance for Klaus. Sure he was pretty damn attractive – but he was also an arrogant, impulsive, frustrating pain in her ass. When Katherine had informed her of Stefan's choice of best man, he hadn't been at all surprised. Considering Stefan's rocky relationship with his brother and Katherine's complicated past with the elder Salvatore that they just didn't speak about it – she hadn't expected Damon to be involved in the wedding plans. Hell, it had been a stretch that he'd even received an invitation to the ceremony at all.

"How long?" Katherine's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, forcing her to look up at the bride.

Katherine's dress was a white, strapless sweetheart dress. There were crystals encrusted across the top of the deep neckline and around the hip, the tight material showing off the brunette's figure perfectly. The dress fell all the way to the floor, the A-line silhouette falling around her feet. Her hair was clipped to the left side, a matching crystal holding it in place as her long curls cascaded evenly down her shoulder.

"Ten minutes." Caroline replied, standing up from her seat with a soft smile. "We can head down now, if you want?"

There was no answer to her question, the blonde just watching on as Katherine kept her eyes on her reflection in the mirror. A few seconds later, she turned around with her typical smirk. It seemed the wedding day nerves lasted all of one minute with the not-so-blushing bride.

"Lets go get married."

* * *

The ceremony had gone smoothly, with no exes bursting in to declare undying love or distant family members getting drunk and passing out in the middle of the vows.

Everything had gone perfectly. Almost too perfectly, actually. A part of her kept neurotically wondering when something was going to go wrong, but there wasn't much that could go wrong at this point. Stefan and Katherine were married, everyone was happy – everything was good. Actually, no, everything was amazing. Katherine was happy, Stefan was happy. After all, that had been her main goal.

Sitting at the bar, she sipped on her white wine as she looked around her. She was happy, so happy, for the now married couple. There wasn't a long face in the room and she couldn't help but be proud of that. She'd put this entire thing together, with Katherine's demands in mind, but still. She'd made this work. The past sixteen months had been spent planning this day and she was glad that it had all paid off in the end. All she'd wanted was for this wedding to go as perfectly as humanly possible and it had. She'd managed to pull it off, without Katherine having to sacrifice any of her wishes. It was a pretty damn amazing to feeling to have, to know that she'd secured her best friend's happiness on the most important day of her life.

"Drinking alone, sweetheart?"

It didn't take much for her to recognize the smug tone. If the accent wasn't enough, the damn 'sweetheart' at the end pretty much sealed the deal.

"What do you want, Klaus?" She questioned in aggravation, fighting the urge to roll her eyes as he appeared from behind her and took a seat next to her. Taking another long gulp of her wine, she slammed the glass down on the bar.

Honestly, she didn't even know what it was about him that bugged her. He'd always been around; just the best friend of her best friend's boyfriend. They didn't have to socialize –very rarely was it ever necessary- but they were around each other more often than reasonable. As annoying as he was, he was strangely compelling. They'd known each other since college, when Stefan would invite him out and Katherine would invite her out all at the same time. Ever since, they'd just known each other. Whether the two of them happened to be at Stefan and Katherine's place at the same two, or birthdays, or now weddings. Since wedding planning had started though, they'd been around each other more and more again. Maid of honor and best man duties crossed paths quite often, apparently.

There'd always been that attraction there, she'd admit that. Well, she'd admit that to herself anyway. Would she ever give him a compliment and flirtatious look? Hell no. His ego did certainly not need any boosting, as far as she was concerned.

"Just checking up on you, making sure the maid of honor isn't drinking herself into oblivion." He shrugged, innocently. That time, she didn't even bother to resist her eye roll.

"Can you just …. go away? Please?"

"Now why would I do that?"

Giving him a glare, she let out an irritated sigh before turning to the bartender and ordering another glass of wine. Ignoring his amused look, she offered the young bartender a flirtatious smile before turning back to Klaus. "Are you going to get your own drink or just stare at me all night? Because it's kind of creepy, actually."

"...Red wine, mate."

* * *

"Now go get laid, Mrs Salvatore." She whispered, holding her best friend in a tight embrace. Katherine's intoxicated laugh echoed around the large room, nobody even there to hear it other than the four of them and a few other departing guests. "And feel sorry for me when you're having the time of your life in Sri Lanka and I'm stuck in Chicago."

Watching on with a smile as Stefan and Katherine walked away, she turned to get her purse from the bar. She didn't say anything to Klaus, who had been sat next to her at the bar since he'd come over earlier that night. Wine had very quickly turned into shots and stronger than strong alcohol, glares turning into seductive smiles and irritation turning into flirtation.

Before she even knew it, she'd subtly slipped her hand into his and the two of them were in the hotel room.

His lips crashed against hers the very second the door had shut behind them. He pressed her up against the wall, his hands on her hips as hers immediately flew to his golden curls. Only seconds later, his shirt was on the floor and hers was soon to follow. She let out an involuntarily moan as his mouth moved to her neck and continued moving downwards, not even realizing that the noise came from her own mouth.

She walked backwards, mouth not leaving his until the back of her knees hit the bed, causing her to fall down onto the mattress.

* * *

Turning over with a groan as the sunlight peaked through the curtains, she flinched internally as her arm hit another person. She reluctantly opened her eyes, looking up and freezing at the sight of her not-so-mystery lover.

Klaus.

Freezing for a moment, she let herself panic in her mind as she slowly rolled back around – just to be greeted by his arm curled back around her shoulder. She managed to pull herself up without waking him, quickly finding last night's clothes. Slipping into her underwear and dress, she slid her shoes on and began to move around the room to search for her purse. She let out a breath of relief as she spotted it on the small table by the door, her heels clicking against the wooden floor as she moved.

"Leaving so soon?"

She froze again as she heard him, his groggy voice making it clear that her moving around had woken him up. Taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her face, she spun back around on her heel to face him. She made an extra effort to not let her eyes fall down to his exposed chest, running a hand through her hair as she cleared her throat.

"Um – yeah." She said, her voice quiet and making her mentally slap herself at how lame she'd made herself sound. After a few moments of awkward silence and avoiding eye contact, she eventually forced herself to choke out something. "Listen, we're just … never talking about this again, okay?"

At his silence, she let out an aggravated huff. Of course he was going to be difficult and smug about this, just, just of course he was. The look on his face was telling that he was definitely feeling fairly smug.

"I mean, it's for the best. Right?" She bit her lip, quirking an eyebrow as she began to step backwards towards the door. "So, no mentioning this. To anyone. Ever. Deal?"

"If you say so, love. It's a deal."


	2. Chapter 2

Hello! Wow, firstly – thank you all so much for the great response to this! Almost fifty follows for the prologue alone is just insane! I'm so glad you all took interest. Thank you to everyone who followed, faved and reviewed! It means the world to me. Here is the first official chapter, so I hope you like it. Please keep in mind that I have no beta, so any mistakes are completely my fault. Haha.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.

Chapter 1

The walls around her felt as if they were closing in. Her hands trembled against the counter top, her eyes focused on a tiny random dot on the wall opposite her. She could hear the faint ticking of the timer on her cell phone, telling her that she was a second closer to sealing the rest of her future. Her mind was completely blank, not able to process that any of this was happening to her.

She was twenty-five, she was single, she had a decent career and an apartment just made for a single girl in her twenties. This wasn't supposed to happen yet, not now. The dreams she had growing up –which didn't include her as a princess in a high tower as a brave prince on his white horse tore through the bushes and fought the fire-breathing dragon - never included this. She was supposed to have had a safe career, a doting husband and a typical house in the suburbs with a tiny puppy running around before _this. _

In her idle expectations, there'd been an anxious grin on her face and a husband holding her hands with the same anxious grin. She would be wanting this. She would have spent weeks, maybe months even, trying and just waiting for _this_ to happen. She'd be shaking with excitement, not dread. Not in any of her naïve fantasies, was she there praying that there wasn't a baby in her stomach. Hoping so badly that the test would turn out negative and this was all just one massive misunderstanding that she'd laugh back at in five or ten years when her dream actually came home and it was a grin that was threatening to break, not tears.

Trying to control her breath, she clenched her eyes shut as she felt the water behind her eyelids getting closer and closer to spilling down her cheeks every time her phone alerted her that just a second had passed. She needed to know that this wasn't happening. That she'd got it wrong, that mother nature was just playing a cruel trick on her. Maybe.. just maybe, she'd pick up that stick and take a sigh of relief. If any time was a time for her blind optimism, it was now.

It just couldn't happen. It wasn't the right time and it definitely wasn't the right father. _Damn_ _it. _How could she have been so stupid? Sleeping with some guy at her best friend's wedding, completely drunk out of her mind. Just as they'd agreed, they hadn't spoken about it. Apart from the odd cocky smirk everytime they saw each other, not a word had been spoken about it. As if it never happened. But, this wasn't even just some guy – it was Klaus. Klaus. Freakin' Klaus Mikaelson. The arrogant, British asshole who she was sure looked at himself in the mirror more often than he smiled. Though, it was a nice face and a nice smile so maybe she could understand that...

Did she have a choice to tell him if the outcome turned out to be one she was dreading? No. She couldn't even be selfish and keep him out of it, because he'd see her. He'd see her looking like a freaking _whale_ and put the pieces together eventually. Stefan would tell him that Caroline had gotten herself knocked up by 'Mister Unknown' and there was a guarantee that he would confront her about it. He might not want anything to do with it, but there wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he'd bring it up. Eventually, he'd run into her and a living, breathing child and have to face the fact that it was his flesh and blood. Because they knew each other. They had mutual best friends, they shared the same social group, they lived in the same city. They ran into each other more often than most drunken one-night stands ran into each other and that wouldn't be easy to deal with if the outcome of this was the worst one possible.

She'd have to tell him. Let the words leave her mouth and watch his reaction. Oh, God, she'd have to tell her Mom and her Dad... and Katherine. She'd have to tell them that she got drunk on her best friend's wedding day and hooked up with the best man.

Not only that, but her entire life would be thrown upside down. She had a decent career now as a secretary for a popular Chicago-based fashion magazine. It wasn't the highest position she'd wanted when she'd gone into fashion writing, but she was slowly getting there. This would knock her back down all over again. She'd never be able to contribute to the magazine, not now. She'd never get her own article in their. She'd be stuck booking appointments and taking calls for the rest of her life. Whilst rushing home to spend her money on feeding her child.

She was single but she'd met someone. He'd just recently started work at the magazine marketing side of the company. There were whispers that he'd only got the job because his Mom was high up in the magazine, but she didn't care. He'd approached her by the coffee machine in the cafeteria on his first day, a week after the wedding, and he was nice. He was a nice guy and they'd gone out twice now. His name was Tyler but, hell. No young, attractive guy with a rising career was going to want to raise a child that wasn't theirs with a girl they'd just met. She was pretty much screwed in that department. Until she was, like, forty anyways. Then she'd just have to fall in love with a divorced alcoholic that stunk of cigarettes and rotten apples, with no job and two bitchy teenage daughters that hated her.

The vibration of her cell phone shook violently on the bathroom counter top, pulling her from her over-the-top train of thoughts. She didn't turn her head to look at it though, her heart speeding up considerably. Her eyes clenched shut tightly again, as she took one last deep breath and slowly turned to pick up the test.

The little plus sign burned her eyes, the tears rushing down her cheeks as she let out a loud cry.

_Pregnant._

* * *

"Okay, cut the crap."

Her head snapped up at Katherine's harsh words. Her eyebrows furrowed, tilting her head backwards. The two girls were sat on the couch, both of them with their feet up and the their heads resting against the back of the couch. Caroline had reluctantly called her best friend and asked her to come over, though only after a dozen voice mails and ignored texts. It had been an entire week now since she'd taken the pregnancy test and found out about the little situation -so to speak- she'd gone and gotten herself into. In that time, she hadn't told anyone. The words hadn't left her mouth, not once. She'd turned down Tyler's offer of taking her out on another date, hastily apologizing and excusing herself. She'd been ignoring her phone completely and she was quite shocked that Katherine hadn't come barging on her door. Well, actually she had, she just hadn't let her up. Eventually, she'd text her and told her she was fine – just busy. Katherine had text back with words that told her that she definitely didn't believe her, but Katherine wasn't one to push. She'd just pressure it out of her when they got together.

"Hm?" She mumbled, lamely. Katherine's face turned into one of annoyance and the brunette let out a sharp exhale. Clearly, her reluctance to talk to her best friend was getting on the other woman's nerves. Quite understandably, probably. But that didn't mean she had to tell her, right? She could keep this to herself for a little while longer.

At the end of the day, she was only six weeks pregnant. Not anything her best friend needed to know, right? Not when the father was her new husband's best friend. Not at all.

"What's going on with you, Caroline?" Katherine asked, raising an perfectly shaped eyebrow in irritation. "You've been a mute for the past week. Usually we can't get you to shut your mouth for more than thirty seconds and trust me, I've tried."

Caroline rolled her eyes, dragging a hand across her face, hoping that maybe Katherine would just drop it. But of course, she didn't. The clearing of her throat was all was needed to know that she was close to slapping it out of her.

"I'm pregnant."

Well, there was no point in covering it up. It wasn't as if giving Katherine a long speech about mistakes and regrets and how positively _fucked _she was, would make any difference. Spitting it out was the only thing she could do. If she thought about it, she would never say it.

"What?!" Katherine spat, narrowing her eyes.

"Thanks for the comfort, Kat, really." Caroline whispered, shaking her head as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"You're telling me – that I spend three weeks in Sri Lana with a hot husband and you're the one that goes and gets yourself knocked up?"

"Nice to know we're prioritizing here." The blonde bit her lip, turning her gaze away from her brunette best friend. This wasn't the reaction she was hoping for, but it was the one she'd been expecting. If she'd grown to realize that she should expect anything from Katherine, it was bluntness. Not a single hesitation with Katherine, oh no. Sometimes she was glad, but others, she wished she could just get some comfort.

"Care.." She heard Katherine sigh and turned to fix her eyes back on her. The tan woman had a sympathetic expression, her mouth slightly agape and her eyebrows furrowed. It wasn't often that Caroline saw that expression with Katherine, so she couldn't help but appreciate the softer side of her every once in a while. Even if it was under the most serious of circumstances. "No judging or anything, but you know who the father is... right?"

Caroline silently nodded, pressing her lips together as she looked down at her lap. Maybe if she kept averting her eyes away, the entire situation would just disappear before her. She'd be happy and not worrying about her entire future, how she was going to bring up a child. As a child, she never even managed to keep a damn goldfish alive for more than a couple of days. A living person, her flesh and blood? It was terrifying. She had money, but not heaps of it. She had a decent apartment, but not a huge one. This was all so messed up and she just didn't know what to do. The past week had been spent going over all the options she had and she'd realized that she couldn't consider abortion or adoption. Every time that she'd forced herself to think about it, she knew that she'd never be able to go through with it. Whilst both of those options were the right choices for others, it wasn't right for her. That wasn't who she was. She was going to have this baby and she was going to deal with it. Somehow.

Katherine was silent, but the intrigued look on her face told Caroline that she wouldn't be patient with her for much longer.

"I know... Oh, I know." She chuckled, humorlessly. "I know who the father is. Though, I actually think it would be better if I didn't know."

Her words done nothing but inspire Katherine's face to show further confusion. This was the part she'd been dreading, as ridiculous as it may have sounded to even her. It was all so damn _complicated_. Of all the billions of people in whole world, she slept with Klaus freakin' Mikaelson. No, not only did she sleep with him – she got knocked up by him. His child was inside of her and that was that. It was nerve-wracking because he was such a roller coaster. One minute he was up, one minute he was down. One minute it was left, the next it was right. You never knew what he would do next and that wasn't the type of father she wanted for her son or daughter. But she'd known him for years and she knew that somewhere, there was a side that was good. He wasn't all bad and he wasn't the worst person around. Maybe she could spare him into the 'top ten worst people to be around' folder.

"Klaus..." She paused, taking a deep inhale as she looked up at Katherine. "Klaus is the father, Kat."

"..._What_?!"

* * *

Katherine had spent another two – very, very, long- hours at her apartment. She'd told her everything, every detail that she could possibly give her. Katherine had promised to not speak a word to anyone, not even Stefan, but the chances of her keeping her mouth shut wasn't exactly high. All Caroline could hope was that Katherine understood the seriousness of this and that she didn't let herself go blabbing her mouth off the first chance that she got. The blonde trusted her though, to keep the information to herself until she forced herself to step up and talk to the father of her unborn child. It was just telling him that he was the father of her unborn child that scared the hell out of her.

Okay, so what if he didn't want anything to do with it? What if he did? Which one of those scenarios was even the best one? She didn't even know. Hell, right now she couldn't tell her left from her right. But she knew that she just had to talk to him. If he didn't want to know then... That was his problem. She'd cope. If he did want to know, they'd work something out. Deep down, she knew that she wanted him involved. She'd grown up without a Dad around and she didn't want the same for her child. In all of her fantasies about becoming a Mom, she always knew that her child would have a father. A father that would be there, no matter what. Whilst their scenario would be the same thing as hers was, two different houses for two parents, it didn't matter. Difference being, she'd gotten used to having her Dad around, before one day she'd woke up to find that she didn't anymore. He'd gone, just like that. Left her Mom for another man, left Caroline for a new daughter as far as her eight year old self was concerned.

This child would never -_ever_- feel like that. Over her dead body.

So, she gathered up the courage to speak to him. Or, well, text him. Reluctantly, she had sent him a text asking him to meet her for coffee the next morning. Thankfully, he'd agreed without any questions. Her asking him to go somewhere with her was such a rare occurence, that she wasn't even sure if it ever happened before. Actually, she knew for a fact that it had never happened before. She thought he was a complete asshole, why the hell would she voluntarily suggest being around him? He was a hot asshole sure, but he was still an asshole. That she hated. Not so much.

Actually, hate was a very strong word. Especially now, after their drunken tryst on their night of their respective best friend's wedding. Though it was a silent connection, something had changed at some point along the line. They didn't talk, barely even looked at each other –besides his usual cocky smirk, that douchebag- but there was a reason he'd approached her that night and there was a reason that she hadn't forced him away. She was still in the progress of working out what those reasons were; be it sexual tension, the alcohol, the entire 'love is in the air' vibe that weddings constantly stank off, or just something that had been a long time coming. Hell if she knew and right now, it was the last thing on her mind.

But here she was, sitting in a coffee shop and waiting for him to show up so that she could tell him that he was going to be a father. The anxiety she felt was overwhelming, focusing on anything other than the reason she was here. All she wanted was to run out that door, go to her apartment, pack a bag and just get out the city to never see him again. Only she couldn't do that, because she wasn't stupid enough to pack up her entire life because of a guy and she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she was raising his child that he didn't even know existed. The guilt would eventually get too much and she'd end up on his doorstep in ten years time with a child on her arm that had her eyes and his dimples. For some reason, she felt as if that was an even worse scenario for her and her child to be. So she'd be staying put and facing the music, for the sake of the baby in her stomach.

Tapping nervously against the table, she took a sip of her decaf as she waited for him. She kept her head down, her eyes stuck to the table. A couple of minutes later, he heard that _stupid _British accent and knew it could only be him.

"Caroline, love." He greeted, placing his own cup of coffee on the table as he sat down on the seat opposite. "I must admit, I was slightly taken back by your invitation for coffee. But don't worry, I happen to be a fan of surprises personally."

The smugness in his voice made her want to slap him, as per usual. Obviously, he hadn't given her inviting him out for coffee a second thought. Actually, she had no doubt that he was vain enough to think that she actually wanted to ask him out.

As she lifted her head up to look at him, her blonde curls falling in ringlets over her shoulders, she kept her face blank. Every single thing that she'd planned to say to him – and she'd planned it, all night, in detail- was suddenly gone. Her mind was completely empty as her eyes locked with his, and she sucked in a breath. How to crash someone's world down in just two words, she thought. Deciding to go down the same road she did with Katherine, she ditched the speech and exhaled sharply. She kept her eyes on his, both her hands now curled around her coffee cup.

"I'm pregnant, Klaus."

* * *

So there it is! Hope it lived up to some expectations. The next chapter will be entirely Klaroline.

If you have a chance, please drop me a review and let me know what you think! I'd love to know how I'm doing with this. Also, you can follow me on tumblr at forbesalvatore or on twitter at koltherine. Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! Thank you for all the feedback for the last chapter. I'm sorry this took a while, I must have rewritten it a dozen times. Anyway, I hope you guys like it!**

**Also, I still don't have a beta or a graphic or anything. I'm not fancy like that, mwaha. So, basically, all mistakes are mine and I apologize! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize and never will.**

Chapter 2.

For a few moments, it was silent. Though Klaus could swear there was nobody else around them, as they sat in a silent staring competition for what felt more like forever than just a minute. The hustle and bustle of the busy coffee shop didn't slow down, but it went away. He couldn't hear anything other than those three words echoing in his head. He heard the blonde opposite him mutter something that sounded like an 'It's yours' under her breath, but he'd already assumed that considering they'd slept together and now she was calling him out to tell him that she was pregnant.

The look on her face told him that she was very clearly waiting for him to say something, but he'd never exactly had the experience to know what he was supposed to say in this kind of situation.

''Oh." He mumbled, mentally punching himself for how pathetic that reaction was. Caroline's expectant gaze turned into one of annoyance, but Klaus spoke again before she could. "You're.. Are you sure?"

"If I wasn't completely positive, trust me when I say I would not be putting myself through this damn conversation right now." Her eyebrow quirked, trying to keep her composure. Now that she was sat here, opposite him, waiting for his reaction - she was terrified. She knew she didn't need him to raise this baby, but Caroline didn't know how she'd cope with seeing him around after he rejected her and their unborn child.

She didn't say anything else, just deciding to stay silent as her fingers tapped nervously against her coffee cup. He needed time to process the fact that a one night stand had just told him that she was expecting his baby; she could put neurotic Caroline away for two minutes and just let the silence happen. God, she hated awkward silences.

Klaus continued to just stare into space, and Caroline wasn't sure whether or not he knew that he was staring straight at her. So when he eventually cleared his throat and shook his head, it was more than welcomed.

"You're... pregnant." He repeated her earlier words, his brows creased together. "And you're keeping it?"

Caroline pressed her lips together, shrugging a single shoulder before nodding lightly. Klaus mirrored her actions almost immediately, nodding along with her, but much more hesitantly.

"So, what happens now then?" He asked and Caroline could tell he was reluctant to hear her answer. Very, very, rarely has she ever seen Klaus so.. startled. Usually, it was a snarky comment here and arrogant smirk there. It was almost as if he was walking on eggshells around her, and the calmness in his voice was very clearly forced. As if he was going to break the cool attitude as soon as her words had fully sunk in and she was out of sight.

She shrugged again, letting out a barely audible sigh as she looked down at the small round table that separated them. She'd rehearsed this time and time again, expecting everything from him exploding at her to him just walking out of the place never to be seen again. But, actually, a quiet Klaus may have been worse than an obnoxious Klaus because she had absolutely no idea what he was thinking - and Caroline hated it.

"I guess I-" She paused, subconsciously sliding her bottom lip between her teeth. "I guess I understand if you don't want to be apart of this." She paused again, clearing her throat as she averted her eyes downwards again and tried to avoid his intense gaze. How many times had she rehearsed this again? "I mean, a baby would sort of tarnish the British bad boy reputation. Right?"

She let out a humorless chuckle, bringing her eyes back up to his for just a second.

"Caroline-"

"But, I just wanted you to know. I don't want anything from you, I don't need anything from you. If you don't want anything to do with me or this baby then fine, but that's your choice. I just wanted you to know, since I don't think it would be very fair to keep your own child away from you. Though, you'd probably find out eventually anyway, what with the mutual friends and the same city and how often we bump into each other and all that." She knew she was full-on rambling by this point, but she was nervous and when she got nervous, she rambled. Telling the most irritating man in Chicago that you were pregnant with his baby? A perfectly good reason to be nervous, thank you very much.

"Caroline-" She heard him interrupt her again, this time with a little more force.

"And, you know, I didn't really like the idea of showing up on your doorstep in ten years with a suitcase in hand and a baby bombshell a decade late. As much as I love Desperate Housewives, I'd really rather not live it." She continued with another humorless chuckle, her eyes constantly shifting from his view to the coffee cup in her hands.

"Caroline, sweetheart, you're rambling." He cut in quickly, before she could say anything else.

"Yeah, yeah, I am." She acknowledged, standing from her seat in a rush. "Just... just call me, or something. Or don't. Whatever." She reached under the table to grab her bag and threw it over her shoulder, clutching her half-full coffee in her other hand. She didn't know what was coming over her - in her very carefully rehearsed idea of how this meeting would end, she was not the one storming out- but she couldn't sit there any longer. Any thought she'd had about telling him, every world, every detail, had disappeared from her mind the very second he'd sat down opposite her.

She knew that she could raise this child herself, that it didn't really matter whether or not he was willing to be involved or not. But, deep down, a part of her wanted him to put the womanizer days behind him and help her with this. She wasn't ready to know whether he would or not, and well, she didn't want to feel even more alone with this. She was scared.

Before either of them could mutter another single word, she'd turned around and sped towards the exit. She could faintly hear that intoxicating accent calling her name from behind, but she ignored it as she walked out and left him completely dumbfounded in his seat.

Stepping out into the piercing cold air, she picked up her pace and hurried along the sidewalk. When she finally reached her car, she slammed the door shut behind her and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

* * *

The majority of his life had been spent in silent fear. Fear of betrayal, loneliness, love. All of those had stemmed from the tragic childhood he'd had no choice but to face. His own father had hated him all of his life; he was threatened, isolated, beaten. Never could he ever do anything right, nothing was ever acceptable. He'd learned to keep his mouth shut and not fight it, instead just accepting that Mikael had the upper hand over him and the rest of his family. For as long as he could remember, the man had treated him more like a stray cat that had wandered into their family home and refused to leave than an actual human being. Son, at that. The very term 'father' was laughable when it came to Mikael.

His mother had turned a blind eye throughout most of it. He knew that she knew that there was something wrong, that Mikael was treating one child differently to all the others. He'd never understood why she hadn't said anything; why hadn't she stopped it? Or at least tried to. Most of his beloved childhood memories was his mother turning away in silence as Mikael threw yet another punch. If anything he did angered Mikael in the slightest, he'd end the night with a black eye or scarred shoulder, no doubt.

It wasn't until the evening of his eighteenth birthday, that he realized why he'd grown up as the least favorite child. A drunken Mikael had stumbled into the house, his mother not far behind, pleading with her husband through her tears. He had been sat in the lounge with Henrik, Rebekah, Kol, Elijah and even Finn at the time. Mikael's words were fumbled and slurred, but it didn't take a genius to understand what he'd yelled.

_"Not even my son! Just the filthy product of a good-for-nothing whore's affair. Should have abandoned the bastard years ago!"_

After that, everything changed. Klaus stayed out of the house for as long as he possibly could , not willing to stick around and be tormented over his own birth any longer than he had to be. He wouldn't even be in the same room as his mother or Mikael. He felt his own siblings looked at him differently now that they knew - it may have all been in his head, but that didn't mean that it hurt him any less. As far as he was concerned, his siblings no longer thought of him as a sibling. At the time, he felt as though he had no family. Despite the rest of the Mikaelson clan offering their constant reassurance and support, he felt ridiculously out of place. Even more so than he had before.

Not too long after, his ticket out of there came along in the form of acceptance to a college in a different state.

The so-called family of his had moved to America when Mikael had received a job offer, just five years before that fateful evening that was Klaus' eighteenth birthday. The company Mikael worked for was starting up in the States, and Mikael had been asked to take one of the higher positions at the firm in New York. Finn was the only sibling lucky enough to be able to stay back in London - the rest of them, had been packed up and shipped off to the city that never sleeps.

Klaus had made just one friend in his time in America, Stefan Salvatore. Both of them had similar career goals and had both applied to a college in Chicago, and coincidentally had both gotten in. So, Klaus packed his bags once more and headed for his new life away from his hell of a , he'd applied for colleges before finding out the truth about his paternity. Though, he never did find out who his actual biological father was considering he was on the other side of the Atlantic. That, and he never really wanted to know anyway. One father was more than enough for him. So, he left for Chicago and never once looked back. Deep down, he hated the idea of leaving a young Rebekah, Kol and Henrik with that monster. But he couldn't stick it any longer, and he happily took the opportunity of freedom in Chicago.

That was where his best mate allowed himself to become a love-sick puppy dog, all thanks to the doe-eyes brunette that seemed to think she owned the bloody place. To say Klaus had never gotten along with the object of Stefan's affections would be an understatement; most of the time, he wanted to kill Katherine Pierce with his bare hands and he was more than sure that the feeling was very mutual. Though, through extension, he also met the she-devil's best friend. Caroline Forbes.

She was definitely intriguing, and then some. There had always been something about her that Klaus had found appealing. Of course, she was a beautiful girl, but there was more to her than that. Their friendship had been a rocky one, just the suffering best friends dragged along to the first couple of -painful- dates. Stefan was a disgustingly corny idiot when he was out to impress, to put it lightly. Ever the sentimental one, claims of true love were flying around the place within just a few weeks. Klaus simply scoffed and rolled his eyes. Caroline, on the other hand, seemed to simply adore Stefan's pathetic attempts at a Hollywood romance. Just anther thing he and the blonde disagreed on.

As far as he was concerned, he and Caroline had always had a connection. There was something there - an attraction, a chemistry, an understanding. Whatever it was, they'd never explored it. Not for the lack of trying on his part either, just her reluctance to admit she felt anything but hate for the 'British jackass'.

So, there were a couple of things he'd gotten used to hearing from her over the years that they had known each other._ 'You're an asshole', 'Don't you ever shut up?', 'I'm not interested', 'Why Stefan would befriend some arrogant douchebag like you, is beyond me.'_

_'I'm pregnant, Klaus'_ however? Had not been something he'd ever expected to hear leave her lips until earlier that morning.

It was just three in the afternoon as he threw back yet another drink. Leaning his elbows against the desk, he hung his head in his hands as he let out a groan. His meeting with Caroline that morning hadn't been what he was expecting. Actually, he hadn't been expected anything but her carrying his child was definitely the last thing on his mind.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Settling down and having a child, had not been on his to-do list at any point in his life. He was Klaus Mikaelson, he didn't do relationships or family. Caroline didn't seem to want either of those things from him, but it was still a completely outrageous thought. He wasn't a father. He didn't know how to be a father, he didn't know how to look after anyone other than himself. Most of the time, he couldn't even do that without screwing something up along the way.

Since those two fateful words had fallen from Caroline's lips earlier that day, he hadn't been able to think straight. All he could hear, was her voice repeating the same thing over and over again in his head. There was no way that he could do this, but he couldn't just leave her alone. Could he?

Mikael hadn't been the best example of a loving father; hell, he hadn't even been his actual father.

But Klaus didn't want to be like that. His entire life had been spent taking insult after insult from Mikael and watching his mother struggling to raise her children whilst living in fear of her own husband. Though Klaus and his siblings never saw the fear in her eyes at another of Mikael's tempers, they all silently knew that it was there.

Growing up, Klaus told himself one thing - that he would never be Mikael. No child of his would be made to feel as hopeless and unwanted, he would make sure of it. His nine year old self was determined that he would be a better father than Mikael.

Though, he'd never expected to be put in the position of having a child. Hell, the thought hadn't once crossed his mind in his entire time in Chicago. Despite his womanizing ways, he was careful and always kept his women at arms length. No other one night stand had come back running with a pregnancy test in hand, not before Caroline.

But Caroline wasn't just another random, drunken, one-night stand. Sure, that's what had happened between the two of them and they hadn't even spoken a word about it since the night. She'd not-so-sneakily snuck out of the hotel room and that had been that.

But everything had changed now. He was bound to see Caroline around, just like he always had. They'd always been friends through friends, despite his efforts in his college days to make them more. She'd never once fallen for his shameless flirtation, just scoffing and rolling her eyes before calling him some American insult or other and strutting away.

All these years later, one night of temptation at a wedding was all it took for the two of them to become possibly bound for life. She was pregnant with his child and he didn't even know what she wanted from him - did she want him to be involved? Or did she just want him to stay away?

After the way she'd stormed out of the coffee shop after her confession earlier that day, he had no idea.

He wasn't Mikael, he reassured himself again. He would be a good father, whether she liked it or not.

He was shaken from his thoughts at the sound of the door opening, his head raising to see Stefan entering the office.

Stefan's father had been the owner of a successful marketing business. During their college years, Stefan had been working their in order to be prepared if he needed to take over the firm one day. Giuseppe, Stefan's father, had seen Klaus' potential and hired him also as one of the junior staff members. He slowly climbed his way to the top, and when Stefan was forced to take over the company after his father's death, he'd asked Klaus to become his official business partner. They now ran the Chicago firm, though Stefan's brother Damon was in charge of the entire company at the head firm in New York. The company was still going strong, and was still far ahead of any competition. Salvatore Market was the marketing firm for any type of business in need of advertisement and remained to be so all over the world.

"What's got you so moody?" The younger Salvatore asked as he took a seat opposite Klaus, clearly referring to the sour expression on his face and the glass of scotch in his hand.

When he was answered with nothing but silence, Stefan quirked his eyebrow questioningly.

"Don't tell me, it's finally happened." He saw Stefan smirk, and instantly knew that he was fully intending to wind him up until he cracked and told him what was going on. It was a tactic that got on Klaus' nerves, but Stefan seemed to thoroughly enjoy time after time. "Okay, first guess... You've gone and got some nameless girl knocked up. Am I right?"

His posture turned noticeably stiff, and he wondered if his business partner already knew about his situation and was just winding him up for the hell of it.

He frowned deeply, but stayed silent, which was apparently more than enough for Stefan to put two and two together. Klaus watched as the other man's face fell in realization, and for the first time all day, he had to bite back a laugh.

"Close enough, mate."

"Who?"

"Surprised the she-devil that you made the disastrous decision to call a wife hasn't informed you yet. Actually, I'm also surprised that she hasn't made an attempt to rip my head from my shoulders yet but I suppose I'll give her time."

He watched as the wheels began to spin in Stefan's mind and he rolled his eyes at Stefan's enraged look.

"If you think I've gone within fifty feet of that woman, then you clearly don't know me very well at all." He scoffed. "I may have knocked up her maid of honor, however."

"Caroline?!" Stefan exclaimed, his eyebrows shooting up, much to Klaus' amusement. "You got Caroline pregnant? I didn't even know you slept with her. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, Stefanie, I'm a fully grown man who doesn't need to inform you of every girl I have in bed."

"...You got Caroline pregnant. Caroline."

"I believe we've established that, Stefan, yes."

"When did you find out? About the ... baby?"

He let out a tight-lipped sigh, bringing the glass back up to his lips and downing the rest of it's content. Standing from his seat, he eyed the clock and noticed that it had gotten late. He'd spent the majority of his day sitting in his office, distracting himself with work and alcohol. When he'd finished, he'd been forced to let himself get sidetracked with reality.

"This morning." He answered, moving to get his jacket as he heard Stefan stand up behind him.

"What happened?"

"She told me and stormed out. I don't know what she even wants from me, it's bloody infuriating."

"If I know Caroline, I know she wouldn't want to do this alone. You should talk to her. And don't drive home."

"Yes, Mummy." He muttered under his breath as he heard the door close behind him.

He knew Stefan was right. He had to talk to Caroline.

**If you have a moment, please drop me a review! It means the world to me. Also, I have no knowledge whatsoever about business so I hope that part made sense. Of course, I hope the Mikaelson history makes sense too. If it doesn't, I apologize, oops. Thank you for reading! Hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner this time. You can follow me on tumblr at forbesalvatore.**


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